A funny, yet unquestionably valid e-mail by Dylan in response to my Brian Wilson/Barenaked Ladies reference in the "Wait On Closers" post:

Good advice, but I have to call you out on something that isn't baseball related: I don't think any self-respecting classic rock/pop fan can let you get away with referring to the Giants' Brian Wilson as "not the guy that the Barenaked Ladies wrote the song about." Dude: Brian Wilson was the co-founder/leader of the Beach Boys, a master of vocal harmony, and certainly one of the greatest pop songwriters history has ever known. It's true that the Barenaked Ladies wrote a song about him, but that's probably the least significant thing you can say about the guy. Long after the Barenaked Ladies are completely forgotten, Brian Wilson will live on as one of the true legends of popular music. In baseball terms, the equivalent would be calling Roger Maris "that guy Billy Crystal wrote a play about" or calling Joe DiMaggio "that guy Marilyn Monroe married." Or calling Cal Ripken "that guy from the Esskay hot dog commercial." Sorry to rant, but Brian Wilson really is the Ripken/Maris/DiMaggio of American pop music, so I had to say something. As far as closers go, good list.

-Dylan

That was funny, yet true.

But here is one key factor you may have overlooked: The Barenaked Ladies song Brian Wilson is rumored to be about the Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys -- the one that Dylan is referring to.

If it's not about that Brian Wilson, it is about a Brian Wilson whose life parallels the Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys (probably done for copyright purposes).

Later on, though, Brian Wilson actually did a cover of the song Brian Wilson, so inherently Dylan, we might be referring to the same guy.

But according to Wikipedia, there are a total of at least 11 significant Brian Wilsons, so I'm expecting some disdainful e-mails from the other 10 guys shortly.

I wouldn't call Brad Hennessey a "failed closer." This is a guy who notched 15 saves and a 3.48 ERA from July onward. Not really much of a failure if you ask me. That said, I think Hennessey is better suited as a setup man; Wilson simply has better stuff and will be more of an asset in the 9th than Hennessey (who could definitely still be a solid closer nonetheless).

-Josh

Maybe calling Brad Hennessey a "failed closer" was a bit harsh, but it's just a writing thing. If me and Josh were having this conversation in person, this is how it would go:

Josh: "I wouldn't call Brad Hennessey a "failed closer"...
Dave: "OK, well maybe not permanently failed, but I meant he missed his kick at the can with the Giants and now they are looking for someone else to step up and secure that role..."

I will add that Hennessey did in fact lose the job last year. He had 14 consecutive saves at one point but then collapsed late in the year. He was 0-2 in September with a Joe Borowski-like ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.97. His walk/strikeout ratio regressed as the season progressed. In all honesty, he still had a good enough season that if the Giants believed in him as their ninth-inning guy, they'd overlook his one bad month. But at this point, he's the backup plan and Brian Wilson is the main man.

--Dave Golokhov